THREE young go-getters from the Trowbridge area have reached the finals of the Go Fish and Gripit Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

April Collins, 16, Nicola Davis, 20 and Ben Laver, 15, were interviewed by MD of Gripit and the youngest winner of the BBC show The Dragons’ Den, Jordan Daykin, in Trowbridge Town Hall on April 20 and were then told they would be advancing to the last leg of the competition on July 25, in with the chance to win £500.

The young business minds pitched their businesses to the successful entrepreneur in a bid to win the prize.

Mr Daykin, who is judging the entrants, said: “The three contestants were great when pitching their business to us. I was very impressed with the way they presented. I can remember from my experience in the den how nerve-wracking it can be.”

There is a separate opportunity to win the Office Evolution Business Award of £250 for which five small teams from Trowbridge College are competing.

April said: “I really enjoyed having the opportunity to pitch my business and can't wait to get some feedback from the judges, as I said it took a lot of nerve but I am so glad I did it as it was a great experience for the future.

“Since doing this pitch I have been asked to do a video speech about my business and my experience and the Dragon's Dungeon pitch helped me to narrow down what I have to say and how to best promote my business. Also thank you David Baker for encouraging me to do the pitch when I was all set to back out.”

All of the competitors are looking forward to sinking their teeth into the final in the next two months, training their business acumen to ensure they are in for a chance.

Miss Davis said: “Having the opportunity to enter Dragon's Dungeon really gave me a confidence boost and to find out I was a finalist felt brilliant. In the run-up to the presentation I was really pushed to look into the ins and outs of my business and consider my strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur.

“At the presentations, I really felt a strong sense of pride and talking in front of a panel of judges was the perfect practice for my public speaking, which is something I have really been working to improve.

“I'm so thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to work with Go Fish more in the future.”

For further information how young people between the ages of 13 and 30 can get be involved in the new programmes commencing in September with David Baker and the Go Fish Team.

To view more about the Go Fish programmes visit their Facebook page at: fb.com/gofishteam.